September skies will light up and it’s more than just the celestial change of seasons. Watch the west to see four bright planets — Neptune, Venus, Jupiter and Mars.
Last week, you would have seen Neptune as it was close to Earth. It was brightest at this time of the year and coupled with a dark sky thanks to the New Moon, made for perfect viewing.
Now, a fortnight later, get ready for the Harvest or the Full Corn moon on September 25. The Native American tribes harvest corn at this time.
Autumnal equinox
The equinox on September 22 will be at 7:24 a.m. At this moment the sun will shine directly over the equator, making for days and nights that are 12 hours long. That’s where the Latin word equinox (meaning equal) comes from.
Planetary date
September will be your last chance to catch a sight of the brightest planets. Venus starts the parade, making her appearance low in the west. A little above her are Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.
Jupiter becomes visible as soon as darkness falls and can be found in the south western sky, in the constellation of Libra. Saturn, resembling a bright star, will be seen in the constellation of Sagittarius and can be found due south. A small telescope can help you reveal its disk and splendid ring system which is open wide at the moment. Uranus, in the constellation of Pisces, can be seen late in the evening. A pair of binoculars will help you see its tiny greenish disk. Also, try to catch a sighting of Draco, Hercules, and Corona Borealis, all in the northern half of the evening sky.
Zodiacal lights
August, September and October are best to witness this phenomenon. Also known as False Down — this is an eerie light in the east before sunrise. In reality, this light is sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains are thought to be left over from the process that created Earth and the other planets of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. They are obviously visible in clear dark skies around the autumn equinox. The light looks like a hazy pyramid. All you need is a dark sky location to see the zodiacal light, some place where city lights aren’t obstructing the natural lights in the sky.
The zodiacal light is most visible before dawn in autumn because in this season the path of the sun and moon stands almost perpendicular to the eastern horizon before dawn. The lights can be seen just before the dawn.
Pegasus rising
Look for the constellation Pegasus on September 30. A giant constellation Pegasus, is the flying horse. This winged steed is the seventh largest constellation in the entire sky, and it’s easy to track down, thanks to four brilliant stars that defines the giant square that forms the body of the beast. In fact, this square is large enough for 30 full moons side by side. Though these stars are only moderately bright to the naked eye, they are easy to locate because there are no stars in this area of sky that are as bright.
